americans, many of whom themselves are happy to pay a slightly higher rate the way we did when president clinton was president. >> mary is shaking her head and i am, too. i traveled enough in the far east to know you bargain appropriately with respect. you don't come in knowing that something's laughable. mary -- >> so wait. i don't travel in the far east. you think people should just give up on their principles and the things they campaigned for? >> no, but i think you do have to bargain from a position of respect. mary, is this something that was so disrespectful that you can't even counter, the republicans can't even counterbargain here? >> here's what -- i don't know why the republicans are so surprised. i myself was offended and felt disrespected yesterday because the working framework, the intellectual working framework, erskine from the bowles/simpson, from domenici/rivlin going all the way back was a basic framework of $3 of savings for $1 of revenues. we get it. it's the opening bid. but we thought the opening bid would at least be in the framework of this planet that we're dealing in.